Fluids New Zealand Triathlon Worlds Campaign

FM qualified 11 athletes for the New Zealand World Championships this October. After a build period following the end of season break, we set the athletes from June on a path to Worlds.

We have gone through 3distinct phases of training.
Run Strength phase 1 - strong but long steady state and interval running training, plus using targeted races as training, including the Salomon Trail series and the Victorian Duathlon series.

During this phase alot of the early mid week ride sessions were hill based strength sessions at or slightly below FTP or TT style steady efforts just under FTP.
The majority of our long rides included efforts of some kind, be it hill climbs, long flat intervals or on adaptation weeks a brick session with the intensity mainly on the bike part.

Specific Preparation Phase 2 - our emphasis on the strength bike workouts remained with the hills, as the Auckland course is quite lumpy with some sharp gradients and technical cornering, a bit like the Amstel Gold climbs in the European Spring Classic. There was also an emphasis on descending as much as climbing to develop our skills.


Sean Smee and Steve Hadley lead pack



Lots of our running was close to our aerobic threshold, and our sharper runs were distinctly aerobic power style fartleks, at threshold but just below MVO2 with float recoveries to keep average heart rate high. Chewing nail style sessions.

Through this period we continued with the Duathlons as training and our combo sessions.

One distinct point is that our long rides and runs were lower in duration to ensure they didn't require too much adaptation time post. The training is all about training hard often being very mindful to train for the next session.

Race Specific Phase 3 - a style of race phase training that FM developed last year during our China and Hawaii Worlds campaign. Sessions that included regular quality bike to run training.

Crit Style efforts with David Fitzsimons leading the pack

The sharp bike set each week would contain either base speed intervals with lots of recovery or short intervals with increasing recoveries so the athlete freshens up or maintains leg strength throughout the set. Then fast speed play fartlek running (change of pace) immediately off the bike.

Then the other runs are base speed accelerations, to maintain top end speed and power then a strength speed endurance style workout later in the week.
The second bike session again is hills or hard sustainable to ready the athletes for the testing Auckland course.

How are they travelling
It has been great to have Stephen Hadley join our squad, a quality athletes who has been self coached. He has worked very well with our existing athletes in training, including Sean Smee and David Fitzsimons.

COLD!

We have quite a range of athletes racing from relatively new athletes like Natalie Wong and Aine O'Connor to seasoned athletes like Ken Murley who has podiumed at World Championships previously. The other athletes on our team are Joost VanVliet, Paul Speed, Zoe Ferguson, Cyrma Hearn and Rob Grummitt

Final Hit out
We have the Hazelwood triathlon this weekend, so it will be great to get in the wetsuit and see how they swim in open water. Then its downhill to Auckland.  

Should be alot of fun and they are pretty ready to race.

Coach Foz